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Investigation Underway On Islamic Activists In Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 14 (IslamOnline) - The Malaysian government has started an investigation on the impact of jihad (holy struggle) among its Muslim nationals following the confirmation Tuesday that a suspected bomber held in Indonesia is a Malaysian citizen.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said the man had been identified as Taufik Abdul Halim, 26, a graduate of Universiti Teknologi Mara.
Sources in Kuala Lumpur say this has prompted Malaysian authorities to double efforts in clamping down on Islamic "extremism" in the country.
The Malaysian government said Jakarta informed it that Taufik was part of a 10-man group that called itself the Jihad Group.
Sources in Kuala Lumpur said that the crackdown on the rise of Islamic activism was expected since there were indications in December 2000 that church bombings there were the actions of a group of Malaysians.
Information gathered by Malaysian and Indonesian authorities, however, has proven insufficient as to those responsible for the bombings.
In Jakarta, police said they were certain those involved in the bombings were trained in Afghanistan, thus indicating a possible link of the group to Osama Bin Laden's alleged group.
The Malaysian government had found it difficult to conduct investigatations into the matter on Indonesian territory due to the "reticence" showed by former president Abdurrahman Wahid.
With the change of leadership in Indonesia, Kuala Lumpur now has the cooperation of the Indonesian police.
Wahid, sources in Indonesia said, did not clamp down on the activities of a group of Mujahidin from Malaysia, or Indonesian "Jihad" members, as long as they were engaged in "jihad" in Maluku.
Some sources in Jakarta linked the Laskar Jihad group to Wahid, adding that the former president allowed them to operate in Maluku to compensate for the majority Christian elements within the Indonesian army in the province.
When contacted, a group of Mujahidin from Afghanistan and Pakistan currently staying in Malaysia refused to talk to IslamOnline.
They said they had nothing to do with the current situation in Asia and were supportive of the Malaysian government for allowing them to stay in the country.
One foreign Mujahidin, however, confirmed that Indonesia started a crackdown on the activities of refugees under U.N. supervision and living in Indonesia two years ago.
He added that the Indonesian government gradually "moved" them out of the country, refusing to grant visa extensions to them, thus forcing them to "migrate" to Malaysia.
It seems the arrested Malaysian in Jakarta is a member of the group, and not the leader of Malaysian nationals who have engaged themselves in activities of Jihad since the beginning of the Bosnian war in Europe. Some Malaysian and Indonesian Mujahidins have been active combatants since the start of the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, sources said.
Others joined in with the Bosnian war after the invasion of Bosnia-Herzegovina by Serbian forces.
There are no indications whether there were any casualties among Malaysians or Indonesians who joined the Mujahidin during these wars.
Malaysian police are expected to collaborate fully with their Indonesian and Thailand counterparts in a bid to put pressure on Jihad groups. Foreign Mujahidins living in Malaysia may also find it difficult to get visa extensions and may be asked to leave the country soon.
The Malaysian Jihad, Kuala Lumpur said, were "extremists" involved in violent religious clashes. They have reportedly taken part in attacks against Christians in Ambon on the Maluku islands.
Police have yet to say if the group was part of the Malaysian Militant Group (KMM) allegedly headed by the son of Kelantan Chief Minister Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.
KMM is said to be involved in bank robberies, "terrorism" and murder, and also allegedly involved in the bombing of a Hindu temple and a church.
Malaysian authorities revealed two weeks ago that a group of Muslims had fought and trained alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan. It arrested several opposition Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS) members alleging they were members of the KMM.
The PAS, however, rejected the accusations, accusing Prime Minister Mahathir's government of overplaying the threat of the KMM and the rise of "extremism" in the country.
Information from Jakarta, where police are still investigating several theories concerning the Malaysian arrested there, is still vague.
Jakarta police chief Sofjan Jacoeb released a statement Saturday saying a man named Dani, or Dodi, claimed he was instructed by certain quarters in Malaysia to carry out the attacks.
Sofjan said the man confessed to having traveled frequently between Malaysia and Indonesia and had set up residence in Jakarta several months ago.
But police information chief Anton Badrulalam had said that Jakarta intelligence revealed that "Dani" was an Aceh activist, adding that "Dani" could have intentionally claimed Malaysian nationality to derail investigations by police.
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